State of the Game

Hosted ByRod Morri, Geoff Shackelford and Mike Clayton

State of the Game was one of the first and is still considered one of the best golf podcasts in the world. Hosted by respected blogger and Golf Channel regular Geoff Shackelford, former European Tour player turned course architect Mike Clayton and long time golf writer Rod Morri this is ‘the golf podcast that talks about stuff that matters.’

State of the Game was one of the first and is still considered one of the best golf podcasts in the world. Hosted by respected blogger and Golf Channel regular Geoff Shackelford, former European Tour player turned course architect Mike Clayton and long time golf writer Rod Morri this is ‘the golf podcast that talks about stuff that matters.’

All Episodes

With professional golf on hold for the foreseeable future only one thing is certain: the pay for play game will look very different on the other side of the Corona Virus pandemic. Can the European Tour survive the current crisis and if not will it be the PGA Tour or the Premier Golf League that becomes its saviour? Just one of the myriad questions pondered when Geoff Shackelford, Mike Clayton and Rod Morri are joined by sports business expert Richard Gillis on Episode 104 of State of the Game.

It’s all anybody’s talking about. Including us. The Corona Virus has touched every facet of life, golf included, and is going to do so for the foreseeable future. What does it mean for professional and recreational golf? Who knows? Certainly not Geoff Shackelford, Mike Clayton and Rod Morri but we chat about it anyway.

Finally. That’s been the predominant response to the Distance Insights Report released earlier this week, a document that may well change the shape of the game for decades to come. Among the most vocal agitators for action on this issue for the past two decades have been Mike Clayton and Geoff Shackelford and on Ep 102 they have their say on the report and what it means.

Not for the first time a World Golf Tour has been proposed with the noble intention of having ‘the best play against the best more often’. Premier League Golf has been in the planning for several years and many of the world’s top players have admitted to being interested. But can the PGA Tour put a stop to it and if not what would that mean for the Tour and the rest of world golf? Join Geoff Shackelford – the journalist who broke the story – Mike Clayton and Rod Morri as they ponder the potential fallout.

It was exactly eight years ago today we released Episode One of ‘The golf podcast that talks about stuff that matters’ and 100 shows later has anything really changed in the game? The answer – as always – is both yes and no. There are dozens more golf podcast to choose from and a movement of apparently ‘fan media’ but the ball still goes too far, lots of players still don’t ‘get it’ and Mike Clayton is still – despite what Mguel Angel Jimenez might say – the most interesting man in golf (as well as being among its greatest contributors). Episode 100 is not a look back show but if you’re in the market for an interesting experiment head to the back catalogue and have a listen to that first episode and you’ll hear many of the same themes resonate in the game in 2020.

Geoff Shackelford, Mike Clayton and host Rod Morri delve into recent happenings in the world of golf and analyse what it means for the bigger picture. From the distance debate (of course) and changes in the PGA Tour schedule to whether a $15 million payday is off putting and is the LPGA playing courses that are too easy? All that comes under the microscope as well as Brandel Chamblee’s surprise switch of position back to advocating for bifurcation of the professional and amateur game.

The success of Royal Portrush, Xander Schauffele and the driver controversy, are the authorities planning to do something about the ball in the autumn and why you can’t say anything bad about Memphis. All that and more in episode 97 of State of the Game.

There is much excitement among architecture types about next week’s Irish Open at the famed Lahinch in County Clare. Tournament host Paul McGinley joins Episode 96 of the show to explain how he plans to take the event back to the future making the on-site experience one that far exceeds watching on TV. The 2014 Ryder Cup captain says tournament goers can expect a festival atmosphere in the tiny town of Lahinch as the entire week will be a celebration of the game.